Kildare Village plan for new unit blocked

The owners of the Kildare Village retail outlet centre are to challenge a recent decision of Kildare County Council to refuse them planning permission for the development of a large new unit for an anchor tenant.

Value Retail Dublin claims the ruling threatens the commercial viability and success of its planned €50m Phase III extension of the designer village.

It has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against the decision of the local council to reject its application to revise plans for an extension approved by the board last year.

It had granted planning permission for 29 new shops, a two-storey car park, and two restaurants, but ruled that the site for the anchor tenant, known as Unit 104, should be omitted.

The board had asked the centre to consider using the space to create substantial pedestrian and cycling links to Kildare Town.

However, Kildare Village claims it needs Unit 104, which would add 638sqm to the permitted extension, to make Phase IIIeconomically viable.

“The absence of Unit 104 creates difficulties in relation to creating a legible mall and ensuring the development has a sense of completion for visitors,” it said.

The designer shopping outlet claims the omission of the unit will have an adverse effect on the Phase III scheme. It said Unit 104 was a flagship “visual stop” at the end of a street that would act as a draw to shoppers.

“Without Unit 104 acting as a visual stop at the Urban Square, visitors to Kildare Village will face an empty and unfinished space where the scheme will abruptly end,” it said.

Kildare Village also claimed the omission of the unit would adversely affect wind speed and climatic conditions experienced by visitors.

However, council planners said the proposed development would negatively impact on an appropriately designed pedestrian link to the town centre.

They also said its “unattractive utilitarian design” failed to comply with requirements of the Kildare County Development Plan for “high-quality linkages” between the designer village and Kildare Town.

The council said the pedestrian link was critical to the future success of the tKildare Town, as it hoped to attract a fraction of the estimated 6m visitors to Kildare Village each year.

An Bord Pleanála is due to issue a ruling in the case by April 24, 2020.

The Phase III development will bring the total number of outlets in the designer village to around 120 and will add 6,200sqm to the overall centre.